News

Oso mudslide search winding down; 2 still missing

OSO, Wash. – Five weeks after a deadly mudslide buried about three dozen homes, Snohomish County officials have scheduled a Monday news briefing to discuss plans to end active search operations in the Oso debris field.

The county used Facebook and its website to announce the upcoming change.

In a statement, the county says Sheriff Ty Trenary will discuss the decision to end the active search while County Executive John Lovick plans to talk about long-term support efforts for the communities of Darrington, Oso and Arlington.

The bodies of 41 victims have been recovered.

Two people remain missing and the search for them continues, although the number of people working at the site has dropped to a few dozen.

Workers also are removing debris from the river and trying to clear Highway 530, which remains impassable.

Five researchers from the University of Illinois plan to visit Oso to study the site.

They’ll look at the mudslide’s impact, investigate environmental and geological causes and study any role land-use policies may have had in the disaster.